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And here we are - finally!

9 months, 12 days, 3 hours, 45 minutes, and 27 seconds after I first sent in the petition for B’s K-1 visa, he received his passport with a shiny new visa stamp on it today. Allright, so I did not really count the hours, minutes, seconds etc., but this whole 9 month process was pretty much like child birth!

Like excited new parents probably look at their new fetus’s fuzzy incomprehensible pictures daily, we would go online and check the status of our petition at the USCIS website every single day. Actually, several countless times a day. We would watch out for any “touches” that show up in a “last updated” column on the account page of each case number. We jumped with joy every time it kicked errrrr…everytime our case was “touched” or updated. If a pregnancy is going to have problems, there is usually a premonition right in the very first trimester. Ditto with our little case with the USCIS. Sometime mid-September, my petition was returned back with the brand new cover I had sent it in. Point in doubt - an oversight by USCIS and a rejected application! So we consulted numerous doctors and specialists (read US Congressman and immigration help sites) to figure out if we did something wrong. Turns out we were right and USCIS was wrong. The petition goes back in the mail - the same brand new cover with all the hundred pages I printed so diligently weighing it down.

All seemed to have died down, and our petition was accepted. Just when we thought it was all smooth sailing from there, halfway through our “second trimester” we had another hiccup. It was an RFE (request for evidence) this time. Proof that we had met within two years of the petition date. I guess my 100 pages of evidence and proof were so much overkill that they overlooked the evidence in question. Again, there was a frenzy of consultations (our US Congressman again). Yes, I was so worried that I went straight to the elected politician here, whose office by the way was GREAT help. They may have made some harsh phone calls to the USCIS which again promptly accepted my evidence that they already had and resumed processing. Our petition was approved from the US side 2nd week of January! End of second trimester.

They say that the last and final trimester is usually the easiest until, well, ofcourse the final day - labor and childbirth! B submitted paperwork from his side in January, papers got accepted and he got an interview date of April 14th (a day before the US tax deadline) I made sure I filed my taxes WAY ahead of time this year because I had to send in my tax documents for him to take to the interview. Then dawns the final stage of the “pregnancy”. The water breaks and the labor starts!

Apparently, every applicant has to now submit papers to an office called “VFS” prior to their interview. VFS supposedly verifies all the paperwork and forwards it to the building next door, which is the US Consulate. As instructed, B submitted his papers 10 days prior to the interview. On the day of his interview, he wore a smile and loads of confidence and walked into the US Consulate hoping to see his shiny new baby - the visa! After about 10 minutes of waiting, he was summoned over to a window where a very sweet Indian lady asked him a few questions, which he answered with an unwavering confidence to her satisfaction. He was hoping to just go back to his seat and await an interview by a visa officer, but the very sweet Indian lady handed him a bunch of papers. He looked at them - these papers were part of the proof of relationship that he had submitted. Photocopies of phone records, emails, passport copies showing stamps of India entry and exit, letters, greetings, etc. He wondered why she had returned this proof back to him. Had the actual Visa/Immigration officer seen these papers? Thats when the water broke and the labor began!

“Okay, don’t panic. The officer probably saw all of these and doesn’t need them anymore. Don’t panic. Don’t panic. Just relax, take a deep breath.” B soothed himself, still hoping for the best. After two hours of intense mental stress and labor, he was summoned again to a window where an American visa/immigration office interviewed him. What’s her name? Where does she work? What does she do? What does her father do? What’s her address? When did you last see her? When did you propose? Those sort of questions were fired at him. He was asked to “push” and he “pushed”! Okay, answered! But you get the point! After the question and answer session, she brought him a bright piece of paper - a form called 221 g. An intent to deny letter. AN INTENT TO DENY! NO, no way. You cannot take this baby away from us after all this wait!!!!!!! The immigration officer asked him for….no points for guessing -PROOF OF RELATIONSHIP. “But these papers were right here, I submitted them to the VFS office.” The intent to deny letter asked him to submit notarized copies of phone records, notarized copies of passports, notarized copies, emails, letters, greetings, etc. “But its right here!” He said and handed all of it back to the officer. She looked at the paperwork, first with a tired look, and then with a questioning, perplexed look, and then finally her expression turned to a big fat DUHHHH! “Allright, we need some time to think about it. In the meantime, get all that we have asked for in the 221 g ready and submit it to VFS.” With the pain still pretty sharp, he walks out. I start bawling on the phone. One hundred pages total. Lots of proof of relationship, what more do they want? Just when we were beginning to round everything up one more time to re-submit, he got a phone call from the US Consulate. He was told they were going to approve his visa BUT……No no, it doesn’t end here, there is a BUT. But the first laminated page of his passport is peeling 2mm from the edge. Hence, he needs to get a new passport. Okay so give us the epidural. Thus, continues the labor.

20 days of affidavits, notaries, fees, and he gets a dazzling new passport that is not peeling even 0.0000001 mm from the edge. Turns in the passport to the VFS office and is asked to return the same evening to pick it up. He goes. “We have no idea when your passport will return from the consulate. Maybe come back tomorrow?” I am not sure but I think VFS stands for Visa Facilitation Service. I am now starting to believe its more like Visa Floundering Service. Okay, one more day, one final push and that will be it. He goes back the next day. And thus, 9 months, 12 days, some hours, few minutes, gazillion seconds later - the visa has been stamped on B’s passport. He has been permitted to visit the US on a fiance visa to reunite and spend more time with his wonderful fiance - yours truly. There! The labor’s done with and we have our baby, the K-1!

So, where’s the party tonight? Mera dil to daance maare hai.

Why don’t you guys have a virtual icecream until then? Request put in by Poonam, so here’s one for everyone! Special thanks to Neeraj and Poonam for answering countless questions B and I asked them throughout the process. Your encouragement and help meant so so much. Thank you also to everyone who has been there, supporting, rooting, praying for a safe delivery